Kusagakure.

"It seems that Konoha ninja was just passing by that day."

The higher-ups of Kusagakure looked at Muku, whose face was wrapped in bandages.

"They entered the Land of Grass directly from the Land of Fire. The ninja stationed there gathered their intelligence. It was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, leading the team."

"But who was that Uchiha?" Muku asked the question he cared about most.

Ryuzetsu, who was beside him, asked, "Uchiha Kiyoshi, the Uchiha genius who has been active on the battlefield recently."

The Kusagakure higher-ups then revealed some intelligence about Kiyoshi.

Every country has intelligence on the geniuses of other countries, this is a necessary measure.

"Uchiha... Kiyoshi." Muku clenched his fists tightly.

He could still remember the sight of Kiyoshi caressing Ryuzetsu's white hair, taking advantage of her.

He would avenge Ryuzetsu sooner or later.

...

A few days later, Kiyoshi returned to Konoha.

The front lines were still intense.

The mere sign of gaining the upper hand in the war with the Land of Earth was far from enough. There were still several other great nations eyeing them covetously.

Once they fell from their position as a great nation, even if they could barely survive by being swallowed by other great nations, those ambitious smaller nations would also show their fangs and take a share.

"The progress of [Fire Release Jonin] is almost full." Kiyoshi said, closing his eyes, feeling the experience transmitted by his puppet clone.

With this technique, Kiyoshi became a multi-threaded project.

After occasionally enduring the pain and fatigue transmitted by his puppet clone, Kiyoshi also gained a new Trait.

[Pain Transfer (Green)], which allows him to offset a portion of pain with Chakra.

This not only increased Kiyoshi's pain tolerance but also allowed him to try deploying more puppet clones.

Currently, it was only a green Trait. But by triggering it more, he might obtain a blue or even purple Trait.

It was also on this day that Fugaku summoned all clan members for a secret meeting.

Today was not the usual day for secret meetings, and many clan members speculated whether something major was about to happen.

Kiyoshi took his seat, which had been adjusted to the very front row, and he specifically sat next to Mikoto.

"Mikoto-nee." Kiyoshi said, taking out a few candies.

Mikoto politely refused, but Kiyoshi kept offering them to her.

"This is a serious place. Don't eat them, okay?" Mikoto put away the candies, her eyes fixed on Kiyoshi.

She was afraid that Kiyoshi had already popped one into his mouth, and if that were truly the case, he would have to quickly bite it and swallow it.

"Mikoto-nee, don't you think it's boring just sitting there?" Kiyoshi turned his head.

Mikoto was wearing casual everyday clothes today, a long black top that subtly revealed her fair collarbones, and her shoulders had smooth, rounded curves. Although not very old, she possessed the unique plumpness of a young woman, yet also a mature fullness.

Despite being plump, her tight long pants, when she knelt, revealed prominent curves. Her top was long, obscuring the view behind her.

However, from Kiyoshi's perfectly positioned perspective, he could see the long pants behind her.

Mikoto's buttocks... were perfectly round, connecting to her thighs without a single trace of excess fat.

It made one unable to look away.

Mikoto-nee, she really is becoming more charming as she grows older.

This fruit is ripe for picking.

Kiyoshi could feel his eyeballs twitching. This ocular power would not deceive him.

"Hmm? Is there something on my face?" Mikoto's eyes flickered with a hint of suspicion as she touched her beautiful face.

Kiyoshi said, "My gaze is on it."

"Then your gaze is truly deep..." Mikoto couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Although Kiyoshi had grown taller and stronger than her, she still felt that Kiyoshi was the same child who had just moved into the Uchiha Clan.

Now, it was as if Kiyoshi, despite his young age, was saying some mischievous nonsense.

Mikoto chuckled a few times, then stopped. She noticed that the scent of blood and hostility on Kiyoshi had lessened somewhat.

He gave off a sense of peacefulness. It was as if she wasn't facing a person, but a tranquil, empty mountain after the rain, with an air of transcendence.

While Kiyoshi and Mikoto were whispering softly, Fugaku finally began the meeting.

As the clan head, he sat alone at the very front, facing the clan members.

Fugaku's face looked a bit thinner, with prominent cheekbones.

He had probably experienced the same pain Sakumo had once endured, under constant slander.

"The war has reached this point, and there is still no sign of a ceasefire. And now, the Hyuga clan has had an instance of their Byakugan leaking out."

This somber news struck the heart of every Uchiha.

Kiyoshi's origin could be explained as a mistake made by the Uchiha when they left the Land of Lightning in the past.

They didn't know, and the Land of Lightning didn't know either, otherwise Kiyoshi would have become a member of Kumogakure long ago.

But now, the Byakugan had been forcefully taken away.

This meant that their Uchiha clan could also have their Sharingan taken away at any time, especially with successful transplantation cases like Kakashi's.

"Who was it?" Setsuna asked grimly.

"A Kirigakure Jonin named Ao. He took the Byakugan of Hyuga Nobuhiko, a member of the Hyuga Clan's main family." Fugaku said.

He had just returned from the front lines and had received a lot of intelligence.

The Hyuga Clan had moved south to defend the Land of Water, during which Kirigakure troops launched a surprise attack, and many Hyuga clansmen died.

The crucial point was that there were main family members of the Hyuga Clan in that incident, and without the protection of the Caged Bird Curse Seal, their Byakugan was taken away.

"This..." Many Uchiha's expressions changed on the spot.

Once a crack appeared, it would only invite more frantic probing.

There might even be cases of betrayal from within the village, secretly transplanting Sharingan or Byakugan.

Listening to the clan members' discussions, Kiyoshi's heart was calm.

The time had come.

Ginka's fiancé's Byakugan was taken, which would inevitably result in severe punishment.

"The Hokage has already issued an order. Our Uchiha Clan must go and assist the Hyuga Clan." With that, Fugaku slowly scanned the clan members.

After the initial fervor, a wave of anti-war sentiment emerged. There were also those within the Uchiha Clan who advocated for peace.

"I'll go." Kiyoshi stood up and suddenly spoke.

He was the first among all the Uchiha to speak.

Countless eyes, flickering with red light, all turned to Kiyoshi in unison.

"Kiyoshi, it's good that you have such resolve."

Fugaku nodded, a hint of a smile appearing on his stern, rigid face.

Kiyoshi's proactive attitude satisfied him.